Tango Course by Horacio Salgán

HORACIO SALGÁN

TANGO COURSE

3RD. EDITION

Editing design and musical scores: Pablo J. Polidoro A.

Graphic design of cover and editing of the 3rd edition: Susana Salgán

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, transmitted, or archived, whether by mechanical, optical, chemical, orelectronic means, without the express permission of the legal owner.

© 2001 Horacio Salgán. All material included in this edition, whether text or musical scores isproperty of the author.

Translation: Will Genz and Marisa Hurtado

ISBN: 987-43-3660-9

Legal Registry: 981846

TANGO COURSE BY HORACIO SALGÁN

Horacio Salgán

His BackgroundHoracio Salgán was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on June 15, 1916. He began his piano

studies early on with Professor Luppo. At age 13 he entered the conservatory ConservatorioMunicipal, where he took harmony classes with Maestro Serrallach, music theory and solfege withProfessor de Ricci, and piano with Maestro Laffratti and Mrs. Amelia Coq de Weigand. Afterward hefurthered his training in harmony with Maestro Pedro Rubbione, in counterpoint with MaestroMarcolli, and in piano with Vicente Scaramuzza, Raúl Spivack, and Alejandro Borovsky.

He began his career as a professional musician at 14 years of age, playing piano in the movietheater Cine Universal de Villa Devoto (then a theater for silent movies). Also deserving of mentionis his performance as an organist, which got its start in the church Iglesia San Antonio de VillaDevoto, continuing later on the radio station “El Mundo”, where he was a permanent organist, andin the movie theater Gran Cine Florida.

As a pianist of popular music, his career was multi-faceted, performing as a soloist or accompa-nist at numerous radio stations (Belgrano, Excelsior, Prieto, Stentor, etc.), as well as in small ensem-bles and orchestras, able to perform an abundant and varied repertoire of jazz, folk, tango, tropicalrhythms, waltzes, milongas, etc.

He formed part of Juan Puey's orchestra, accompanied the Martínez-Ledesma duet, participatedin the typical tango orchestra of Roberto Firpo, in that of Alberto Cima, and in the “Tropical” orches-tra of Juan Ryera, among others.

The OrchestrasHe formed his own first typical tango orchestra in 1944, performing in that same group until

1947. With this orchestra he played on the radio station “El Mundo”, in tango bars such as Germinal,Nacional, Marzzotto, Tango-Bar, in neighborhood clubs, music halls, and cabaret halls.

Besides having great instrumentalists, his orchestra was noted for it's singers, including LucioTabares, Carlos Bermúdez, Edmundo Rivero, Héctor Insúa, Oscar Serpa, y Jorge Durán. HoracioSalgán was the person who “discovered” Edmundo Rivero, whose professional singing career beganas soon as he joined the orchestra.

The ensemble's repertoire was made up mostly of traditional tango arrangements made by Salgánhimself. Through the arrangements, he presented a new concept of style which is original and per-sonal, yet solidly linked to the authentic roots of the genre of tango. His renovating tango style madea big impact at the time. The introduction of his first orchestra marks the beginning of the “SalgánEra” as part of the history of the tango, and leads the way for an avant-garde change within the genre.

His second orchestra performed between 1950 and 1957. In 1950 Salgán recorded his first recordwhich had two instrumental tangos: “La Clavada” by Zambonini, y “Recuerdo” by Pugliese. Amongthe singers who performed with the orchestra were: Héctor Insúa, Angel Díaz, Horacio Deval, andRoberto Goyeneche, who, like Rivero before him, was launched into his professional career thanksto Salgán. That same year, in response to a request made by Agha Khan, High Commisioner forRefugees-U.N., the United Nations included the Salgán orchestra on a record entitled “All Stars“,which was made public at the Expo '70 in Osaka, where musicians of the highest caliber came togeth-

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er, including Ives Montand, Paul Mauriat and his orchestra, Paco de Lucía, and others. Thanks to thelaunching of that record, the name Salgán achieved international prestige.

In 1973 he leads the orchestra again on an LP recording called “Los Cosos de Buenos Aires”, awork comprised of twelve of his own compositions, with words by Roberto Lambertucci. The pieceis a musical caricature of the personages of Buenos Aires who are interpreted by the singer MiguelMonteroIn 1973 he leads the orchestra again on an LP recording called “Los Cosos de Buenos Aires”,a work comprised of twelve of his own compositions, with words by Roberto Lambertucci. The pieceis a musical caricature of the personages of Buenos Aires who are interpreted by the singer MiguelMontero.

In celebration of Salgán's “50 Years in Music” (1980), the Presidente Alvear Theater invited himto play the piano and conduct the Orquesta de Tango de Buenos Aires, of which he was a foundingmember.

In 1981 he took his orchestra on an extended tour of Japan, traveling some 16,000 kilometers in65 days, and performing in all the major cities.

Salgán-De Lío DuoIn 1957 Salgán created a long-lasting musical bond with the distinguished guitarist Ubaldo De

Lío and they performed together in the tango bar “Jamaica”, the same place where they first met. Ina short time they began playing in various halls, clubs, and theaters throughout country, as well as onradio stations and on television.

Their first record was a 45” on the Philips label and had four pieces. Ella Fitzgerald, upon hear-ing the duo in 1965 when she happened to be performing in Buenos Aires, showed her admirationfor them by coming before Mr. Norman Granz, owner of the Verve recording label, so that the duofrom Argentina could record an LP in the U.S.A. Her request was granted, and the LP was recordedwith the title “A Buenos Aires de las tres de la mañana” (name of a tango by Adolfo Ábalos, alsoincluded on the record).

In 1974 the Salgán-De Lío Duo performed for the U.S. President Gerald Ford, AmbassadorOrfila, and other high-ranking officials at the “Retorno al Tango” (Return to Tango) event which washeld at the Argentine Embassy in Washington, D.C., U.S.A.

In 1982 they played in Paris at the Trottoirs de Buenos Aires bar, where Salgán's personal styleleft a lasting impression on the Parisian public. Music critics responded as follows. The InternationalHerald Tribune from February 17, of that year said, among other things, “…Horacio Salgán is one ofthe most notable tango pianists… His contemporary sensitivity, delicate touch, lyrical expression,and his harmonic and melodic brilliance include remnants of Ravel, ragtime, and Bill Evans…”. Inthe prestigious newspaper Le Monde from February 7, the critic Claudio Flouter wrote the follow-ing: “…Horacio Salgán creates a new kind of tango, rooted deeply in his music, yet receptive toBartok, Ravel, jazz, and Brazilian music…”

In 1983 the duo returned to the City of Lights, this time incorporating the cast from “TangoArgentino”, a show created by Claudio Segovia and Héctor Orezzolli, where they performed in theChatelet Theater. On this occasion as well, the critics gave full praise to the work and interpretationof Salgán.

With “Tango Argentino”, he and De Lio return to Paris in 1984 to the Chatelet Theater and thenembarked on an extended tour throughout France, including the cities of Lyon, Nimes, Grenoble andfinishing in the Italian city of Bari.

They traveled again in 1985 with “Tango Argentino”, this time to Italy to perform in the Bi-annu-al show in Venice, Bologna, Milan, and Rome. In 1988 the duo returned to the Trottoirs de BuenosAires bar, this time filming two videos for French television and performing on the on the mostimportant radio stations. They also recorded their first CD for the French label Circe.

2 TANGO COURSE BY HORACIO SALGÁN

In March, 1999, they presented a concert in the Segundo Festival Internacional de Tango inGranada, Spain. Between May and June of that same year, they performed in Miami and NewOrleans, U.S.A

Quinteto RealIn 1960 the Quinteto Real recorded their first LP of the same name and the following year their

second album entitled, “Su Majestad el Tango” on the CBS Columbia label.In 1964 the group took its first tour to Japan, taking the opportunity to record two LP's on the

CBS label entitled, “Quinteto Real en Japón”, volumes 1 and 2.Thanks to the success of their previous tour, they returned to Japan in 1966 and 1969, perform-

ing in major theaters and for the television network “NHK”.The musical activity of the Quinteto Real, whose members included Salgán, De Lio, Francini,

Laurenz, and Ferro, replaced later by Quicho Díaz and then by Murtagh, continued uninterruptedbetween 1960 and 1970.

Their repertoire was put together by Salgán himself, using his arrangements of popular tangomelodies, milongas, waltzes, and his own pieces, in versions made especially for the group.

Salgán-Amicarelli DuoDante Amicarelli, distinguished pianist and composer, proposed forming a piano duo to Salgán

in 1969. They created their own repertoire, utilizing themes from classical music, popular melodies,jazz, Brazilian music, including tangos, waltzes, and folk rhythms such as zamba, chacarera, malam-bo, and litoraleña.

The results of their work together were two LP's recorded on the Phillips label. The first of them,“Salgán-Amicarelli: Dos Virtuosos del Piano” dates from the year 1970 and the second, “El BosqueMágico” from the year 1971. They are two testimonies to the range of musical expression that wasachieved by this singular piano duo, made up of two talented musicians who gave a noticeable con-tribution of pianistic and musical art with these interpretations.

The ArrangementsAt 20 years of age, Horacio Salgán made his first arrangement for the Miguel Caló Orchestra.

The piece was a tango by Fransisco Canaro titled, “Los Indios”, wherein, as in following ones, hisname does not appear. He took his arranging to a new level when he formed his first orchestra,achieving brilliant successes by presenting versions of renewed and exalted popular themes. To date,Salgán has written close to four hundred musical arrangements. These include versions for solopiano, piano and guitar, two pianos, ensembles (quintet, sextet, and septet), even arrangements fororchestra as well as orchestra and vocal soloist.

In addition, his work covers many musical genres: tangos, waltzes, milongas, folk music, etc.His new versions of “classic” popular compositions have had such an impact in the field that manypieces are no longer performed in their original version, but rather in Salgán's, considered to be thedefinitive one.

His WorkOf the vast musical production of Horacio Salgán, a large part remains currently unpublished.

Being a well-known tango musician has allowed him to bring forth many noteworthy, fundamentalpieces such as: “A Fuego Lento”, “Del 1 al 5”, “A Don Augustín Bardi”, “Grillito”, “La llamo sil-

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bando”, “Aquellos Tangos Camperos”, “Mis Calles Porteñas”, “Tango del Eco”, “Tu Romanza”, “UnTango en la Madrugada”, “Homenaje a Pedro Laurenz”, “A Plazo Fijo”.

His stylistic approach draws on a solid “classical” musical education (piano, harmony, counter-point, and orchestration classes) furthered by his deep, pronounced love and respect for “popular”music, and a certain “touch” that was identified by the French critic Claude Flouter as a direct, clear-ly illuminated heritage of his rich, profound rhythmic conception

All these elements, in addition to the natural and undoubted talent make up his style, his partic-ular language, his genuine and unique “musical esthetic”.

Works that deserve mention from his piano folk music include:“Aire de Vidalita”, “La Dolorida” (zamba), “Cuenta la Zamba un Día…”, “La Navidad del

Changuito”(zamba), “El Bosque Mágico” (litoraleña), “Malambo de la Campanas”, “Para siempreChacarera”, “Zamba de los Luneros”, “La Poesía de la Zamba”, and his “Suite Argentina” (chacar-era, zamba, and malambo) for ensemble.

Of his compositions with words: “El Pirulero” (zamba with words by Salgán), “Mimí-Fasolfá”(chacarera with words by Salgán, for orchestra and vocal soloist), “Tamborcito de los Coyas” (car-navalito with words by Dalessandro), “Y me quedo aquí” (zamba with words by Lima Quintana).

In Brazilian music, he has such pieces as “Chöro en Fa sostenido” (for piano), “Carnaval de Ríode Janeiro” (samba for piano), “El Ensueño de Bahía” (bossa-nova), “El Samba tiene razón” (samba),“Mi Conejo” (Chöro for piano), “Simplísimo” (samba for piano).

Oratorio Carlos GardelThe “Oratorio Carlos Gardel” is one of Salgán's great works (with words by Horacio Ferrer) for

symphonic orchestra, mixed chorus, vocal soloists, and narrator. The piece has eight movements.Each of them has a theme or main motive which represents different times and stages in the life ofCarlos Gardel.

The “Oratorio Carlos Gardel” was premiered in December, 1975, in Mar Del Plata, Argentina,accompanied by the Orquesta Sinfónica Mar Del Plata conducted by Maestro Guillermo Scarabinoand the choirs of Mar del Plata and Balcarce.

In September, 1977, the piece was presented in the SODRE Theater in Montevideo, Uruguay,and in Mendoza, Argentina. In 1985 it was performed in the Colon Theater in Buenos Aires with theOrquesta Filarmónica, conducted by Maestro Calderón.

In 1990, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the birth of Carlos Gardel, the oratorio was record-ed by the Orquesta Sinfónica and the Coro Polifónico Nacional of Argentina under the direction ofMaestro Simón Blech. The soloists were: Salgán on piano, De Lío on guitar, Leopoldo Federico onbandoneon, and Ferrer as narrator.

The following year the work was edited in Europe and it was recently produced by the“Melopea” label on records, CD's, and cassettes in Argentina.

Awards and Distinctions• Diapasón de Plata, given by the Festival de Coros in San Jorge, Santa Fe, Argentina.• Gold Medal of the Caballero del Bombo Legüero, from the Ábalos Brothers.• International “Carlos Gardel” Award, from Interpress.• Phillips Golden Record.• Obelisco de Plata, from Mariano Marcolla.• “Korn” Press Medal.


• “Castello Vecchio” Plaque.• Grand Prize of Honor, from the Sociedad Argentina de Autores y Compositores (SADA-

IC).• SODRA Prize of Merit (Newspaper, Magazine, and Related items Distributor's Society).• Plaque from the “Min-On” Association, Japan.• Carlos Gardel Prize, from the Centro Cultural Argentino de Tango.• Platinum “KONEX” from the Konex Foundation 1985 - 1995 - 2005.• Diamond “KONEX” from the Konex Foundation 2005.• Grand Prize for Best Tango Performer, from SADAIC.• “Los Mejores” Prize awarded by “Casablanca”.• “Distinguished Visitor” Degree from Miami County, Florida, U.S.A.• Foundation Roberto Firpo Cup.• “Quijote” from the Fundación de la Casa del Tango• Medal from the City Government of Granada, Spain.• Medal from the Municipality of Avellaneda, Buenos Aires Province, Argentina• “Movimiento Cultural Tango” Plaque.• Miami Technical College Plaque.• Plaque from the Association and Magazine “Los del Tango”.• RCA Argentina label Plaque.• Designated “Illustrious Citizen of the City Buenos Aires” in 1990 by the Honorable City

Council Speaker.• Grand Prize for Best National Author of the SADAIC, Argentina (1992).• “Lobo de Mar a la Cultura” Prize.• Prize from the Octeto Académico de Caracas.• Medal from the Honorable Chamber of Representatives of Argentina.• Rotary Club Plaque.• Distinction from the Secretary of Culture in the City Government of Buenos Aires with the

motive “Jornadas Iberoamericanas de Educación Artistíca”, as “Maestro del Arte” (1999) • Recognition from the United Nations for his valuable contribution to Argentine Society.• Grand Prize CAMU-UNESCO (2000).• Proposed for the Latin Grammy (2000).• Received a bust of himself made by the sculptor Coca Ocampo (2002).• Prize from the newspaper Clarín as “La Figura de Tango del año 2002”.• An event in his honor, held at Government House in Argentina, at the initiative of former

President Dr. Carlos Saúl Menem.• Clarin Newspaper Award 2008.• Received the Brillant Konex Award.• Parchment tribute from Bergara Leuman.• In 2009 received again the award from Clarin Newspaper.• AADI Plate, Argentina Association of Interpreters.• In 2010 is established the National Award of Tango "Horacio Salgán."• Received the award "Roots".• Award "Statuette of the Effigy of the Republic" delivered by Ms. President of the Nation

Cristina Kirchner.• Award Maria Guerrero.• Bicentennial Award - Government of Buenos Aires - August 2010.• Named Corresponding Member of the National Academy of Music Argentina.• In 2011 again received the Grand Award from the National Arts Fundation.

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Horacio Salgán have been added over time awards and accolades almost without interruption.

The Secretariat of Culture of the Nation has distinguished him as Emeritus of Culture Argentina.

Opinions and Commentaries•“…He knows everything that needs to be known and creates his work with the prestige of

a classical musician.”• “As pianists, we all owe something to Salgán, who I believe is the number one pianist in

Argentina and is better than a Bill Evans, and is one of the best pianists in the world.” -(Osvaldo Tarantino, tango pianist).

•“Salgán is the most valuable pillar to the music of Buenos Aires… He's got it all…and hegave it all to us.” - (Aníbal Troilo)

• “…Salgán's work often escapes being classified as specifically 'popular'. There is a tangoby him, 'Don Agustín Bardi', in which he exhibits a great pianistic ability, being both dif-ficult and innovating at the same time.”.

• “Arthur Rubinstein, who only interpreted classical pieces but whose curiosity attracted himto all music, asked me on one occasion to play 'Don Augustín Bardi' and he loved it andwanted to learn to play it. Another tango lover was Stravinsky. He wrote one and Iremember him, already old and in his wheelchair, asking me to play music of Salgán forhim.” -Lalo Schiffrin, statements made for the magazine Clásica, December, 1992, in aninterview in New York, U.S.A.

• When Maestro Ricardo Hegman from the Universidad Maimónides participated in ArthurRubinstein's master classes, Rubinstein said on various occasions, “ listen to Salgán.”

• “Salgán is a genius. I want to bring him to New York so he can play. I only want to seehim on stage at Lincoln Center making his music. I love what he does. I dream aboutthat. I would do anything to honor that musician.” - (Winton Marsalis).

• In the Colon Theater in Buenos Aires, in an encore ending one of his concerts, the greatpianist Jean Yves Thibaudet, dedicated the “Claire du Lune” by Claude Debussy toHoracio Salgán and in another concert the Nocturne in Eb by Chopin.

• The great Maestro Daniel Barenboim said, “Horacio Salgán's art is unique. Rhythm, melody,and harmony come together as if they were one. I admire him greatly, I love him a lot, and Ienvy…a little…his total mastery”.

• Jean Yves Tibaudet said: "...Knowing him enriched my life."• There is a film in process for a movie titled "Salgán y Salgán," that has as protagonists

Horacio Salgán and his son César Salgán.• Is notable that, Edmundo Rivero and Roberto Goyeneche after performing with the Orchestraof Horacio Salgán, went to perform with the orchestra of Anibal Troilo.


INDEX

TANGO COURSE

A PROLOGUE - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -15

SECTION 1

CHAPTER 1: TANGO COURSE - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -19The word “Tango” - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -20The Use of Different Time Signatures in Tango Writing - - - - - - - -22An Indisputable Influence - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -22Special Characteristics of the Tango Accompaniment - - - - - - - - -24

CHAPTER 2: THE EVOLUTION OF THE TANGO - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -26The Decarean Period - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -26The Decade of the 1940's - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -26

CHAPTER 3: THE CREATION OF DIFFERENT TYPES OF POPULAR MUSIC - -28

CHAPTER 4: DIFFERENT TYPES OF TANGO - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -32Melodic Tango - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -32

The Melody - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -33Exposition of the Theme by the Piano - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -34The Accompaniment in the Melodic Tango - - - - - - - - - - - - - -35The Bass in the Harmony and Accompaniment - - - - - - - - - - -36

Rhythmic Tango - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -37

CHAPTER 5: FREQUENTLY-USED ELEMENTS IN THE TANGO - - - - - - - - - -40The Counterpart or Counter-melody - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -40The Variation - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -40Phrasing - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -41Percussion effects - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -45

Freestyle Percussion EffectsThe Percussion Effect of the Double Bass - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -46Frequently-used Rhythmic Patterns In The Accompaniment - - -46Variants of the “Four” and the “Syncope” - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -48

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CHAPTER 6: HARMONY - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -52Closing Chords and Transitional Chords - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -53

Review - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -55

SECTION 2: INSTRUMENTATION - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -57

Accents, Ties, and Typical Tango Phrasing - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -59

CHAPTER 7: THE PIANO - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -60The Piano's Roles in a Tango Orchestra - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -60

Accompaniment - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -60Accompanying the Staccato Passages - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -60The Piano in the Slurred Passages of the Orchestra - - - - - - - - -60Transitional Passages - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -61Bell Effects - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -61The Melody in the Piano - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -61Review - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -64The Variation played by the Piano - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -65

CHAPTER 8: THE STRING INSTRUMENTS - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -66The Melody - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -66

Violins Alone - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -66Violins and Viola in Unison - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -67Violins, Viola, and Cello in Unison - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -67The Melody played by the Strings in Two Octaves - - - - - - - - -68The Melody played by the Strings in Three Octaves - - - - - - - -69

Chord Tones Reinforced by the Strings - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -72Rhythmic Motives - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -74The Variation - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -75The Melody in Multiple Instruments - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -77Harmonic Background played by the Strings - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -79String Instruments playing Pizzicato - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -82

The Cello - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -84The Double Bass - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -84The Accompaniment in the Strings - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -85

CHAPTER 9: THE SLIDE - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -86


The Double Bass - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -87The Cello - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -87The “Anticipation” in the Bandoneons - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -88The “Anticipation” in the Piano - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -88The “Anticipation” in the Syncope - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -89

CHAPTER 10: THE BANDONEON - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -90The Melody - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -90

The Melody in all Four Bandoneons - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -90Harmonic Background - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -94The Variation - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -97“Canto y Bajo” - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -98

CHAPTER 11: THE GUITAR - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -103

CHAPTER 12: THE BASS CLARINET - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -104

CHAPTER 13: THE ORCHESTRA - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -107

CHAPTER 14: ANALYSIS - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -109Arrangement of the Tango “Sobre el Pucho” - - - - - - - - - - - - - -109

A few important Annotations - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -109Arrangement of the Tango“Soy del '90”(by Tito Ribero and Waiss)115

“Soy del '90”, Second Fragment (special) - - - - - - - - - - - - - -120Arrangement of the Tango “Trenzas” - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -128Arrangement of the Tango “El Motivo” - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -129Arrangement of the Tango “Chiclana” by De Caro - - - - - - - - - -132

CHAPTER 15: FINAL NOTES - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -133Incorrect Harmonic Resolutions, accepted in Conventional Practice -133

Some Guidelines for making an Arrangement - - - - - - - - - - - - - -134

APPENDIX

ADDITIONAL MUSICAL EXAMPLES - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -137CD CONTENTS - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -146BIBLIOGRAPHY - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -147

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A PROLOGUE

Writing this tango course is both an obligation and a great pleasure for me.It is an obligation because I would like to contribute something (of all the things that I owe) in

return as an appreciation of having been fortunate enough to educate myself in the orchestras, whereI learned to play tango.

The orchestras were a crucible where the ideas of its members and/or other creative musiciansexperimented, played, and came together to create playing styles, rhythmic forms, etc. These con-tributions were what took the tango, little by little, to such a high musical level.

Nowadays, it is not at all easy to belong to an orchestra, considering the fact that so few can sub-sist. This makes it more difficult for those who want to have careers in tango music to acquire thevast knowledge necessary for playing and interpreting it. Let us not forget that the orchestras havealways been the best schools for such an apprenticeship.

It is also a great pleasure to be able to transmit and share that what I have learned, trying alwaysnot to leave anything out (that is my real intention) by relying on my memory which fortunately stillhelps me.

I never intended for my conclusions to be taken as the absolute truth, nor wanted to win some-thing over anyone, in anything. This course just shows my position, and the ideas with which I havealways worked.

We will deal here with the tango in versions which, in my understanding, are genuine manifes-tations of itself. I love the tango because I love good music, and I got into it to learn to play it, notto change it. If my versions and arrangements have something different about them, it is onlybecause this is my language, and I have expressed myself through it.

I will also talk about the incorporation of new contributions and changes, as long as they areauthentic within the genre.

The many streams of opinion may or may not coincide with what will be said in this course.Considering the broadness of the theme and the flexibility which should govern artistic creation,other concepts may prove constructive as well.

I sincerely hope that this course will be useful to someone,

Horacio Salgán.

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TANGO COURSECHAPTER 1

17

CHAPTER 1

TANGO COURSE

Upon making the decision to prepare this tango course, there were two things to consider. I hadto choose between merely explaining how to deal with the elements that make up an arrangement,accompaniment, or instrumentation, (without adding too many comments to the examples of each)or elaborating upon those examples in order to give a clear idea of how to properly use such materi-al. I have opted for the latter, considering the fact that the intention of this book is not only to informbut to also fundamentally educate the scholar, and given the need to clarify certain concepts.

In other words, to have musical information, for example knowing many chords, is the same ashaving the pieces of a big puzzle. The puzzle may only be put together correctly with the propermusical training.

Thus, with the intent of this course being the performance of the tango rather than an exhaustivestudy of its history, we will only dwell on those aspects which are useful for its performance. Ourlearning will be based on clear and definitive concepts.

Before getting into the material at hand, I need to touch on the difference between the earlytango, accompanied by the Habanera rhythm, and the tango in its more modern version, with a 4/4accompaniment. The latter rhythm in “four” has since had many varieties of rhythmic figures addedto it.

The difference between one tango period and the other is such that at times it is difficult to estab-lish a connection between the two, save for the melodies. This is due to evolutionary changes whichhave had their effect on the genre.

Below is a reference to the Habanera rhythm, the earliest accompaniment to the tango.In the ANTOLOGÍA DEL TANGO RIOPLATENSE, an excellent anthology by the INSTITUTO NACIONAL

DE MUSICOLOGÍA “CARLOS VEGA”, we find the following information:

“Most certainly originating from the English Country Dance, we find it warm-ly received in France toward the end of the 17th Century; later it heads to America,where it is transformed into the Cuban contradanza in the 19th Century. This pro-duces two sub-species: one of them, the 2/4, later results in the Habanera… TheHabanera is taken to Europe and is widely accepted; the stylized version is thenconverted into a ballroom dance, arriving in Río de La Plata, where it is taken inas one of the celebrated dances… This complex process of coming and going willbe repeated several times during the course of the period which our analysis willcover. Alejo Carpentier, known musicologist and Cuban writer, pointed out thismechanism…”

That is to say, the tango's first form of accompaniment was the Habanera, stylized in Europe,with the connection between them perhaps being furthered by the Tango Andaluz and the Zarzuelamusic from Spain. Many fans of the Zarzuela consider it to be among the first genres to have tangocomposers, for example Don Feliciano Latasa, born in San Sebastian, Spain, who wrote the tango“Gran Hotel Victoria”.

TANGO COURSE 19

The prestigious musicologist Carlos Vega maintains that the Habanera accompaniment used inthe early period of the tango comes from the Tango Andaluz. Others claim that the Milonga also hada possible influence on the Habanera. In the end there are many opinions, which is why I refer to theAntología del Tango Rioplatense which states conclusively:

“The dances - choreography and music - have a random existence in general.They suffer stylistic modifications, morphologic adjustments, name changes, andthey vary in their residence. It would be useless to try and determine a single ret-rospective path which leads to their origins… The history of the contradanza,which we just saw, gives us an example of these processes…”

The Habanera accompaniment remained in the tango for only a short time. When the tango final-ly established itself in the musical genre that we know today, it abandoned the Habanera rhythm,which now only seldom appears.

I think it is very important and necessary to remind the reader that when talking about such top-ics where it is impossible to obtain exact information we must be very careful not to come to thewrong conclusion. Unfortunately, we find ourselves repeating facts and figures that have not beencategorically proven. Also, due to preconceived notions about a certain topic, one may vacillate andtotally lose the impartiality needed to observe, analyze, and come to fair and sensible conclusions.

It is for this reason that I am determined to consistently base my conclusions on concrete, prov-able facts whenever I can.

I may or may not have a favorable opinion about something, and while I may be right or wrong,it is nonetheless merely an opinion. On the other hand, a fact that can be proven is much more valu-able in helping to uncover the truth.

Naturally, I am referring to such topics which may be analyzed in such an objective manneraccording to their characteristics. Within the broad realm of the ideas and speculations of the mindwe cannot utilize the same parameters.

I make these clarifications because some of the items we are about to deal with have given riseto numerous controversies, which will undoubtedly be put to rest once we take a calm look at thefacts.

THE WORD “TANGO”“Tango” is a term used by many different communities and it has many meanings. It has been

used to designate a place to dance for the colored people in old Buenos Aires, to denote the TangoAndaluz, as a name of a region in Japan close to Osaka, and even as the name of a Samurai's son inthe movie “RAN” by Akiro Kurosawa, etc. However, none of these names have any relationship toour tango music, at least the latter ones.

Another point which should be made clear is that the tango, especially in its formative begin-nings, has never included a single percussion instrument. We know very well that the groups formedin the early days of the tango generally consisted of flute, clarinet, guitar, etc., to which were lateradded the bandoneon, piano, etc. Castanets, maracas, tambourine, snare drums, bongo drums, fielddrums, and bass drums were never present in the early tango groups.

For those interested in authenticating this, there is reliable proof from recordings and informa-tion from scores which will affirm the previous statements.

In the 1930's and 40's, approximately, orchestras such as that of Osvaldo Fresedo and FranciscoCanaro added drum sets to their ensembles as a means of reinforcing the four quarter note beats ineach measure and the syncopated accompaniment of the piano, double-bass, and/or bandoneons.


For a long time I have sustained through published articles that it is possible that the percussionintervened in the tango orchestras as a means of giving more freedom to the piano, double-bass, orbandoneons so that they may fulfill other roles within the ensemble. At this point the percussionceases to be simply reinforcement. Instead, the percussion takes on total independence, giving roomfor innumerable innovations in the tango which represent an important enrichment in its rhythm.

In 1961 I wrote two tangos in order to show this idea. They were based on a new rhythm, whichI came up with, and included two components:

1. The lyrics, which I wrote, contain phrases of a certain length, and words which are ono-matopoetic in order to further accentuate the rhythm of the percussion.

2. I added a vocal ensemble of three singers who sing the aforementioned rhythmic syllable. Thevocal ensemble either alternated with the soloists or the two sang simultaneously.

I gave this rhythm the name el balanceo (the rocking) or la gota de agua (the drop of water),depending on whether or not wood blocks were used.

I avoided using the drum set, which is strongly linked to jazz, both because it would have per-haps been rejected at the time, and as an effort to maintain a national origin whenever possible. Iincorporated an instrument from our folk music called the legüero drum in the tangos “Tango delBalanceo” and “Con Bombo Legüero”. These were recorded on Phillips (Record No. 8305B) andinclude Adolfo Ávalos playing the legüero drum, and the vocal ensemble made up of Luis Ordóñez,Romana Farrés, and Marta Quintana.

• Audio example #1: “Con Bombo Legüero”.

The rhythmic idea is shown as follows, with the numbering of the wood blocks correspondingto their sounds, one being the lowest pitch and five being the highest:

There were many variations made upon this rhythm. After it was established, several years wentby before I used it again, though it was utilized by other groups.

Then, in 1974 I included this rhythm in the 6th movement of my symphonic work “OratorioCarlos Gardel”.

In this manner, percussion was added to the tango as an independent entity, which nowadays iscommonplace within the genre.

Of course, the tango may be performed without percussion, and it will not feel like any-thing is missing.

On the other hand, if another rhythm such as tropical music has the percussion taken away, thenit loses one of its fundamental elements.

TANGO COURSE 21

Nota: Los Maestros Daniel Barenboim, el Octeto Académico de Caracas y los 12 Violoncellos de la Filarmónica deBerlín, y otros grandes músicos, me han hecho el honor de grabar obras mías, merced a las excelentes orquestaciones yarreglos del Maestro José Carli.

In order for me to start referring to tangible facts, let us clarify aspects related to the writing andperformance of the tango.

THE USE OF DIFFERENT TIME SIGNATURES IN TANGO COMPOSITIONS

The question often arises, in reference to the writing of tango music, which time signature ismost appropriate.

The time signature of the Habanera is 2/4. This time signature of 2/4 was still being used evenafter the rhythm of the accompaniment switched to the “four” pattern.

Later, considering the fact that the tango was being played using four eighth notes to the meas-ure but counted in 2/4, the time signature was changed to 4/8.

Nowadays the tango uses the time signature of 4/4. This came about for reasons of practicality,considering that in passages with fast notes such as in the variation sections the sixteenth-notes areclearer to play and are less laborious for the composer than the thirty-second notes used previously.

The most important aspect in this case is the sound, that is to say how it sounds.Is there any difference in the way a tango is played, whether its time signature is 2/4, 4/8, or 4/4?

Absolutely not. Obviously we are talking here about the tangos written after those of the Habanerastyle.

We should note that some classical composers use certain notes, such as the whole note, halfnote, quarter note, etc., in an untraditional manner. For example, Beethoven used quarter notes in hisfast movements, such as the Scherzos from Symphonies No. 3 and No. 7, and then used thirty-sec-ond notes when writing slow movements, such as the Largo movement from his Piano Sonata No. 7in D Major, op. 10.

The note values that are to be used depend on the tempo indication given at the start of the move-ment, whether Allegro, Lento, Presto, etc. In practice, the use of a certain time signature in the tangohas neither altered nor influenced its performance nor its spirit.

AN INDISPUTABLE INFLUENCE

I think it is necessary to highlight a source of influence in the tango which is of transcendentalimportance and has not received the treatment it deserves when attempting to determine the origin ofthe elements which came together and made the tango into what it is.

I am referring to the music of the people from the interior provinces of Argentina. Thisinfluence has been clearly present ever since the first years of the creation of the tango, in the so-called Guardia Vieja period.

The mere titles of tangos from this era show the influence of the rural communities and theirmusic. For example, “El Pial” (the lasso), “El Baqueano” (the guide from La Pampa), “El Cuatrero”(the cow thief), “Se han sentado las Carretas”, “ El Buey Solo”, “El Entrerriano” (the man from EntreRios), “El Jagüel” (the watering hole), “El Palenque” (the hitching post), are only a few of the manycompositions having a provincial title and character.

On a purely musical and artistic level, a composition's title matters little if it does not contain ele-ments which justify it.

Some of the melodic phrases used in the tangos of the Guardia Vieja either come from or areinspired by Estilos, Vidalitas and Canciones Camperas. Songs of this style were written by the mostprestigious composers of the era. These melodies, and above all the atmosphere which they carry,clearly show that the rural influence was a fundamental element in the tango. They deserve an exten-sive study and analysis.


Now that we have briefly outlined the first period of the tango, we will see how a gradual changein its accompaniment turned out to be a great event, opening the door to a new genre. This changeallowed for infinite possibilities which took the genre to a new musical plateau of the highest level.

This opinion is shared by great musicians such as Arthur Rubinstein, Igor Stravinsky, SalvatoreAccardo, and the famous pianist Jean-Yves Thibault, and is expressed in the world's important jour-nals including “Le Figaro”, “The Herald”, “Le Monde”, etc. Now, in the 21st century, the perform-ances and recordings of eminent musicians such as Daniel Barenboim, Gideon Kramer, Yo-Yo Ma,the Octeto Academic de Caracas, The 12 Cellists of the Berlin Philharmonic, and others contributeto its prestige.

The transcending change of accompaniment occurred when the accompaniment of four beats (ina 2/4 measure this would mean four eighth notes) alternated with the Habanera rhythm.

This “four” pattern remained the definitive one.The Habanera accompaniment now only seldom appears in the tango. Another rhythm which

was incorporated into the tango is the “syncope”, though there are other numerous combinations andvariants. To illustrate the magnificent contributions of the “four” pattern, one only needs to play themelody of a great tango, for example the trio from “Los Mareados” by Juan Carlos Cobián and withwords by Enrique Cadícamo, first using the Habanera rhythm and then using the “four” rhythm.

Besides being a dance, the tango has among its important merits a profound emotional contentof people's moods in different races and cultures.That explains its success in Finland and in Japan, inFrance as well as in Norway

It is only after the accompaniment was changed from the Habanera to the “four” that the tango'smany possibilities were to be realized.

In audio examples #2 and #3 from “Los Mareados”, we can appreciate the difference betweenthe two versions of this tango, played first with an accompaniment of the Habanera, and then “infour”.

The advent of this transformation can be noted as early as 1910 in “El Pardo Cejas” (example#34 in the Antología del Tango Rioplatense) by Prudencio Aragón and in “Tinta Verde” by AugustínBardi (1915). By observing at the scores of these pieces, one can clearly deduce that the “four” pat-tern replaces the Habanera accompaniment.

It appears that it was in the orchestra of Eduardo Arolas where this important change was firstnoticed. From the Antología del Tango Rioplatense:

“The analyzed recordings of this orchestra (1913, 1914, 1917, and 1918) pres-ent peculiarities in their performance which distinguish it from other orchestras. Inthe first place, the tempo of their playing is noticeable; this orchestra interpretedthe tango slower during this period until 1920. …Besides the aforementionedtempo and the way it sounded, is the unmistakable scheme (of four eighthnotes) in its rhythmic foundation, generally played without placing emphasis on it,and the incipient use of dynamics and variations in tempo as a means of expres-sion.”

In addition to the fact that the rhythm in “four” began to be used in Arolas' orchestra, it was alsopresent in the other composers and performers of the era mentioned earlier.

This fundamental change allowed the tango to reach a musical plateau filled with rhythmic andmelodic possibilities, which placed it among the world's great musical creations.

In his movie “The Love of Life” (1968, Directed by S.G. Patris and Francois Reichenbach),Arthur Rubinstein plays part of a tango and then says “Think about whether or not this theme is onpar with a Beethoven Sonata.”.

TANGO COURSE 23

SPECIAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE TANGO ACCOMPANIMENT

The tango has some very unique characteristics.Its rhythm has no known lineages, unlike other popular genres, and thus it would appear that its

creation is totally original. There is no other rhythm that resembles it, and, if by chance there werea similar rhythm (we have yet to know of one), it would most likely not contain such varied rhythm,emotive quality, expression, or words as the tango. Some tangos have lyrics which even may be con-sidered on par with actual poetry.

However, one thing that distinguishes the tango among other genres is the relationship betweenthe melody and the accompaniment.

I will give a hypothetical example which may prove to be clearer and more eloquent than manytheoretical explanations:

Suppose I receive a phone call from someone who has composed a waltz and who asks me toprepare an accompaniment for it. The caller tells me that the first measure is in the tonic, the secondis in the dominant, the third is in the tonic, the fourth is in the dominant, and then it resolves to thetonic in the fifth measure.

Being that it is a typical waltz and has no special requirements, surely the accompaniment whichI would prepare would coincide with the proposed melody without my necessarily having to hear itpreviously. Adding a customary bass line and two accompanying chords per measure (in 3/4) wouldbe a simple matter.

However, something very different would turn out if the caller were to request a tango accom-paniment, because it would be vital for me to hear the melody in order to arrive at the appropriateaccompaniment.

This is due to the fact that a tango's accompaniment must be, in one way or another, a conse-quence of the melody.

We see that the accompaniment alternates between the “four” and the “syncope”, yet, in additionto these rhythms, there are a great many other accompanying rhythmical segments which add adegree of difficulty to their incorporation, both through their abundance (though this can be a bigadvantage as well) and the manner in which they are to be properly used and combined.

The only orchestras which utilized almost exclusively the “four” and the “syncope” were thosewho performed the tango in a manner that was easy to dance to. This resulted in performances thatwere too uniform due to the repetition of those few rhythms, especially considering that the genre hasso many other resources available.

In order to play or arrange a tango, we should interpret the meaning and the emotional contentof its music. One should determine whether it has to do with a melodic theme or a rhythmic theme,and try to “feel” what the composer was trying to convey through the piece, in order to then com-plete it with the most fitting accompaniment.

. The culmination of all these elements is what we refer to by “interpretation” and they shouldall be present in the tango. That is why its performance and arranging ends up being so difficult.

I have always been thoroughly convinced that without interpretation, there is no music.Tangos generally have individuality, even those by the same composer. For example, “Tierrita”

and “Nunca Tuvo Novio” are dissimilar, even though they are both by Agustín Bardi.


Just because one can use copious amounts of musical elements does not mean that every arrange-ment or performance necessarily has to be complicated or overly challenging. Rimsky-Korsakovstated succinctly, “Sometimes one can add a lot of notes, but sometimes it is better not to.”

An artistic creation should not confine itself to a prearranged formula, unless it has to do with amusical form such as a Fugue or a Sonata, etc.)

The imagination should be allowed to run free without one being determined to make somethingthat is necessarily easy or hard. Everything must arise out of the same piece if it is to be authenticand inspiring.

Be well aware that the richer a melody is, the more prudent and measured the accompanying ele-ments should be, in order to not overload the theme. Nothing should distort or obscure its beauty.That way, it may come forth naturally and without any unnecessary additions.

On the other hand, the use of the “four” and the “syncope” must never be ignored. These rhyth-mic schemes function to center the tango, and thereby set and define the genre.

They simply must be placed opportunely among the other elements. When used alone, the “four”and the “syncope” work well when accompanying a singer or a solo instrument.

They also made possible the use of characteristic lyrics particular to the Guardia Vieja period,which often have a humorous tone, as do the score covers. This new poetic style of words used inthe tango would never have been able to express its beauty if the lyrics had been sung in the oldGuardia Vieja style and with the Habanera accompaniment and rhythm.

TANGO COURSE 25

Documents

Tango Course by Horacio Salgán